Supports rejecting reputation-only water explanations while preserving measurable process requirements. Do not generalize the source’s later chemistry figures without stronger technical evidence.
Historical-geography analysis of water availability, site selection, marketing, and industrial scale.
Raitz distinguishes pragmatic water requirements from Kentucky’s “pure limestone water” lore. Early and industrial distillers valued clean water, reliable flow, adequate volume, cooling temperature, and logistical fit; actual operations used springs, creeks, wells, rivers, and treated supplies, and some moved toward rail even when water became secondary.
PDF sheet 55 / displayed p. 27
PDF sheet 46 / displayed p. 22
Distilling’s Backstory — Water
Fresh September29 audit: PDF46–55 and enlarged water maps support the paraphrase. Distinguish volume/reliability/cooling/ingredient water; chemistry and taste mechanisms require technical corroboration.
Capture evidence faithfully. Select one Source, record a usable locator, and preserve enough surrounding context to prevent misquotation.
Evidence
Paste the exact quote, paraphrase, statistic, definition, or source claim into Excerpt Text. Use Excerpt Type to distinguish quotation from interpretation.
Location and context
Record Locator Type, Locator Start, Locator End when needed, and Source Section. Explain the surrounding argument in Context.
Annotation
In Annotation, state why this evidence matters. Add approved Tags for retrieval and connect it to every relevant Literature Note.